How to trace a telephone number for free

Written by lee johnson

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Reverse phone directories can tell you the owner of a mobile or home phone number. (mobile phone image by vashistha pathak from Fotolia.com)

Learning how to find a person's name and address details from their telephone number can help you if you have been getting calls from a number you don't recognise, or you have found a phone number and need to know whose number it is. There are many websites online that can help you trace phone numbers, but many of these charge a fee for the results of your search. There are also websites, however, such as White Pages, 411 and Yahoo People Search that can give you an address and name that is linked to the number for free.

Skill level:

Easy

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Instructions

1

Choose your desired reverse phone directory. This is the name for services that tell you the name of the owner based on the phone number, as opposed to the other way around. There are many others in addition to the ones previously mentioned, and many phone networks may provide a reverse directory service. You may need to try multiple sources before you successfully find a name or address.

2

Find your phone number. If you can, try to get the area code of the number as well. This is required for many of the searches, and it can easily be used to trace the vague location of the phone number without a specialised website. With the full number, your search stands a better chance of turning up a result.

3

Type the phone number into the relevant box on the website. The field on most websites is prominent, and normally under a "Reverse Phone Directory" tab. You should be able to see the field clearly. Type in the area code without parentheses, as most websites will add them in for you if needed.

4

Click the "Find" or "Search" button. This is generally located underneath or to the right of the field that is used to type in the number. This will initiate the reverse phone directory lookup. The website will search through its database to try to locate your desired number. Wait for around thirty seconds for the results to show up.

5

Look at the results. Generally there will only be one (there may be two if the owner of the number also runs a business, for example). Click on the name of the desired result to see the information linked to that profile. Sometimes the person's occupation is listed along with their name and address. You can usually find a vague location even from websites that charge for their service.

Tips and warnings

Alternatively, dial "*57" after receiving a call from an unknown number to perform a call trace. This service may be free, depending on your phone provider.